Temperature Extremes from Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) Climate Change Projections

Future climate projections of extreme events can help forewarn society of high-impact events and allow the development of better adaptation strategies. In this study a non-stationary model for Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distributions is used to analyze the trend in extreme temperatures in the context of a changing climate and compare it with the trend in average temperatures.

The analysis is performed using the climate projections of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM), under an IPCC SRES A2 greenhouse gas emissions scenario, over North America. Annual extremes in daily minimum and maximum temperatures are analyzed. Significant positive trends for the location parameter of the GEV distribution are found, indicating an expected increase in extreme temperature values. The scale parameter of the GEV distribution, on the other hand, reveals a decrease in the variability of temperature extremes in some continental regions. Trends in the annual minimum and maximum temperatures are compared with trends in average winter and summer temperatures, respectively. In some regions, extreme temperatures exhibit a significantly larger increase than the seasonal average temperatures.

The CRCM projections are compared with those of its driving model and framed in the context of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 3 (CMIP3) Global Climate Model projections. This enables us to establish the CRCM position within the CMIP3 climate projection uncertainty range. The CRCM is validated against the HadEX2 dataset in order to assess the CRCM representation of temperature extremes in the present climate. The validation is also framed in the context of CMIP3 validation results. The CRCM cold extremes validate better and are closer to the driving model and CMIP3 projections than the hot extremes.     

Singular vector decomposition of the internal variability of the Canadian Regional Climate Model

Previous studies have shown that Regional Climate Models (RCM) internal variability (IV) fluctuates in time depending on synoptic events. This study focuses on the physical understanding of episodes with rapid growth of IV. An ensemble of 21 simulations, differing only in their initial conditions, was run over North America using version 5 of the Canadian RCM (CRCM). The IV is quantified in terms of energy of CRCM perturbations with respect to a reference simulation. The working hypothesis is that IV is arising through rapidly growing perturbations developed in dynamically unstable regions. If indeed IV is triggered by the growth of unstable perturbations, a large proportion of the CRCM perturbations must project onto the most unstable singular vectors (SVs). A set of ten SVs was computed to identify the orthogonal set of perturbations that provide the maximum growth with respect to the dry total-energy norm during the course of the CRCM ensemble of simulations. CRCM perturbations were then projected onto the subspace of SVs. The analysis of one episode of rapid growth of IV is presented in detail. It is shown that a large part of the IV growth is explained by initially small-amplitude unstable perturbations represented by the ten leading SVs, the SV subspace accounting for over 70% of the CRCM IV growth in 36?h. The projection on the leading SV at final time is greater than the projection on the remaining SVs and there is a high similarity between the CRCM perturbations and the leading SV after 24–36?h tangent-linear model integration. The vertical structure of perturbations revealed that the baroclinic conversion is the dominant process in IV growth for this particular episode.     

Climate simulation over CORDEX Africa domain using the fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5)

The new fifth-generation Regional Climate Model (CRCM5) was driven by ERA reanalyses for the period 1984–2008 over the African continent following the CORDEX experimental protocol. Overall the model succeeds in reproducing the main features of the geographical distribution and seasonal cycle of temperature and precipitation, the diurnal cycle of precipitation, and the West African Monsoon (WAM). Biases in surface temperature and precipitation are discussed in relation with some circulation defects noted in the simulation. In the African regions near the equator, the model successfully reproduces the double peak of rainfall due to the double passage of the tropical rainbelt, although it better simulates the magnitude and timing of the second peak of precipitation. CRCM5 captures the timing of the monsoon onset for the Sahel region but underestimates the magnitude of precipitation. The simulated diurnal cycle is quite well simulated for all of the regions, but is always somewhat in advance for the timing of rainfall peak. In boreal summer the CRCM5 simulation exhibits a weak cold bias over the Sahara and the maximum temperature is located too far south, resulting in a southward bias in the position of the Saharan Heat Low. The region of maximum ascent in the deep meridional circulation of the Hadley cell is well located in the CRCM5 simulation, but it is somewhat too narrow. The core of the African Easterly Jet is of the right strength and almost at the right height, but it is displayed slightly southward, as a consequence of the southward bias in the position of the Saharan Heat Low and the thermal wind relationship. These biases appear to be germane to the WAM rainfall band being narrower and not moving far enough northward, resulting in a dry bias in the Sahel.     

Climate projections over CORDEX Africa domain using the fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5)

Following the CORDEX experimental protocol, climate simulations and climate-change projections for Africa were made with the new fifth-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5). The model was driven by two Global Climate Models (GCMs), one developed by the Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie and the other by the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, for the period 1950–2100 under the RCP4.5 emission scenario. The performance of the CRCM5 simulations for current climate is discussed first and compared also with a reanalysis-driven CRCM5 simulation. It is shown that errors in lateral boundary conditions and sea-surface temperature from the GCMs have deleterious consequences on the skill of the CRCM5 at reproducing specific regional climate features such as the West African Monsoon and the annual cycle of precipitation. For other aspects of the African climate however the regional model is able to add value compared to the simulations of the driving GCMs. Climate-change projections for periods until the end of this century are also analysed. All models project a warming throughout the twenty-first century, although the details of the climate changes differ notably between model projections, especially for precipitation changes. It is shown that the climate changes projected by CRCM5 often differ noticeably from those of the driving GCMs.     

论区域气候模式与全球模式嵌套时边界区的选择

做了3个试验,第一个试验只用大气环流模式(GCM),主要考察GCM的性能并确定其误差的区域分布.后两个为对比试验,一个试验中,将区域气候模式(RCM)(NjU-RCM)的侧边界放在全球模式(L9R15)中我们感兴趣的区域,未考虑侧边界区GCM的误差大小,另一个试验中,RCM的侧边界位置根据GCM预报误差的空间分布选取,使其落在GCM预报误差较小的区域.3个试验都对1998年5、6、7月份中国区域的降水过程进行了模拟和比较.结果表明:单独使用GCM的效果最差;当用GCM-RCM嵌套模式对区域气候进行预测时,GCM侧边界值的误差对RCM的模拟结果有显著的影响,嵌套侧边界若选择在GCM系统性误差较小的地区,模拟或预测效果会有明显的改进.     

Regional Climate Change and Uncertainty Analysis based on Four Regional Climate Model Simulations over China

Four sets of climate change simulations at grid spacing of 50 km were conducted over East Asia with two regional climate models driven at the lateral boundaries by two global models for the period 1981–2050. The focus of the study was on the ensemble projection of climate change in the mid-21 st century(2031–50) over China. Validation of each simulation and the ensemble average showed good performances of the models overall, as well as advantages of the ensemble in reproducing present day(1981–2000) December–February(DJF), June–August(JJA), and annual(ANN) mean temperature and precipitation. Significant warming was projected for the mid-21 st century, with larger values of temperature increase found in the northern part of China and in the cold seasons. The ensemble average changes of precipitation in DJF, JJA, and ANN were determined, and the uncertainties of the projected changes analyzed based on the consistencies of the simulations. It was concluded that the largest uncertainties in precipitation projection are in eastern China during the summer season(monsoon precipitation).     

区域气候模式中地表径流方案的数值试验

建立了不均匀的地表径流算法,修改了RegCM2中径流方案,这一算法适用于疏松土壤和紧密土壤.设计了一个适合与气候模式RegCM2耦合、能模拟水文站流量的汇流模式.模拟了1998年夏季大暴雨期间6、7、8月降水的空间分布,分析了该径流方案对降水、地表热量通量、地表径流、土壤湿度产生的影响,结果表明：①本文提出的方案在模拟1998年长江流域夏季大暴雨期间降水的空间分布上有一定的合理性,在一定程度上改善了降水量的模拟,其影响大致是总降水量的10%左右.②地表径流方案改变了地面向大气输送的热量通量,这种作用随时间发生变化,这种变化与地表水分的再分配有关.③本方案计算的土壤渗透能力较强.在暴雨的初期,产生径流较少,而在暴雨后期土壤湿度增大,产生的地表径流较大,这一点更符合洪水形成的特点.     

Reanalysis-driven climate simulation over CORDEX North America domain using the Canadian Regional Climate Model, version 5: model performance evaluation

The performance of reanalysis-driven Canadian Regional Climate Model, version 5 (CRCM5) in reproducing the present climate over the North American COordinated Regional climate Downscaling EXperiment domain for the 1989–2008 period has been assessed in comparison with several observation-based datasets. The model reproduces satisfactorily the near-surface temperature and precipitation characteristics over most part of North America. Coastal and mountainous zones remain problematic: a cold bias (2–6 °C) prevails over Rocky Mountains in summertime and all year-round over Mexico; winter precipitation in mountainous coastal regions is overestimated. The precipitation patterns related to the North American Monsoon are well reproduced, except on its northern limit. The spatial and temporal structure of the Great Plains Low-Level Jet is well reproduced by the model; however, the night-time precipitation maximum in the jet area is underestimated. The performance of CRCM5 was assessed against earlier CRCM versions and other RCMs. CRCM5 is shown to have been substantially improved compared to CRCM3 and CRCM4 in terms of seasonal mean statistics, and to be comparable to other modern RCMs.     

Sensitivity of seasonal precipitation extremes to model configuration of the Canadian Regional Climate Model over eastern Canada using historical simulations

This study analyzes the uncertainty of seasonal (winter and summer) precipitation extremes as simulated by a recent version of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) using 16 simulations (1961–1990), considering four sources of uncertainty from: (a) the domain size, (b) the driving Atmosphere–Ocean Global Climate Models (AOGCM), (c) the ensemble member for a given AOGCM and (d) the internal variability of the CRCM. These 16 simulations are driven by 2 AOGCMs (i.e. CGCM3, members 4 and 5, and ECHAM5, members 1 and 2), and one set of re-analysis products (i.e. ERA40), using two domain sizes (AMNO, covering all North America and QC, a smaller domain centred over the Province of Québec). In addition to the mean seasonal precipitation, three seasonal indices are used to characterize different types of variability and extremes of precipitation: the number of wet days, the maximum number of consecutive dry days, and the 95th percentile of daily precipitation. Results show that largest source of uncertainty in summer comes from the AOGCM selection and the choice of domain size, followed by the choice of the member for a given AOGCM. In winter, the choice of the member becomes more important than the choice of the domain size. Simulated variance sensitivity is greater in winter than in summer, highlighting the importance of the large-scale circulation from the boundary conditions. The study confirms a higher uncertainty in the simulated heavy rainfall than the one in the mean precipitation, with some regions along the Great Lakes—St-Lawrence Valley exhibiting a systematic higher uncertainty value.     

三江源湿地的退化对区域气候的影响

本文运用RegCM3区域气候模式模拟三江源及其周边地区,研究三江源湿地的的退化对该地区及其周边地区气候的影响。结果表明,三江源湿地的退化会影响地表温度、高度场和流场以及降水的强度。      

区域气候模式与陆面模式的耦合及其对东亚气候模拟的影响

将大气—植被相互作用模式AVIM（Atmosphere-Vegetation Interaction Model）与区域环境系统集成模式 RIEMS2.0（Regional Integrated Environment Modeling System Version 2.0）耦合,利用耦合后的AVIM-RIEMS2.0模式在东亚区域选定典型年份进行积分试验,通过模拟结果与观测资料对比分析,从整体上评估耦合模式对东亚区域的模拟能力。结果表明:模式能够较好地模拟850 hPa风场、500 hPa位势高度、气温、降水以及地表热通量空间分布型和季节变化。双向耦合具有动态植被过程的AVIM模式后,RIEMS2.0模拟能力有一定程度的提高。850 hPa风场在冬季的中国东北、华北地区以及夏季的中国东部地区,模拟偏差都减小;500 hPa高度场模拟在中国北方地区改进明显,而在中国南方地区的夏季并没表现出明显的改进趋势。耦合模式改进了RIEMS2.0模式冬季气温模拟偏低而夏季偏高的现象。从区域平均看,耦合模式改善了降水模拟偏多的现象,并使得潜热通量的模拟效果有明显的改进,对感热通量模拟在大部分地区也有改进。总的来看,AVIM-RIEMS2.0耦合模式对中国北方地区模拟改进较为明显,而对中国南方地区,特别是华南地区没有明显的改进。     

Projected Climate Change in the Northwestern Arid Regions of China: An Ensemble of Regional Climate Model Simulations

The projected temperature and precipitationchange under different emissions scenarios using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models over the northwestern arid regions of China(NWAC) were analyzed using the ensemble of three high-resolution dynamical downscaling simulations: the simulation of the Regional Climate Model version 4.0(Reg CM4) forced by the Beijing Climate Center Climate System Model version 1.1(BCC_CSM1.1); the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 3 regional climate model(Had GEM3-RA) forced by the Atmosphere-Ocean coupled Had GEM version 2(Had GEM2-AO); and the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model forced by the Norwegian community Earth System Model(Nor ESM1-M). Model validation indicated that the multimodel simulations reproduce the spatial and temporal distribution of temperature and precipitation well. The temperature is projected to increase over NWAC under both the 4.5 and 8.5 Representative Concentration Pathways scenarios(RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) in the middle of the 21 st century, but the warming trend is larger under the RCP8.5 scenario. Precipitation shows a significant increasing trend in spring and winter under both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5; but in summer, precipitation is projected to decrease in the Tarim Basin and Junggar Basin. The regional averaged temperature and precipitation show increasing trends in the future over NWAC; meanwhile, the large variability of the winter mean temperature and precipitation may induce more extreme cold events and intense snowfall events in these regions in the future.     

Current and perturbed climate as simulated by the second-generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM-II) over northwestern North America

An updated version of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM-II) has been used to perform time-slice simulations over northwestern North America, nested in the coupled Canadian General Circulation Model (CGCM2). Both driving and driven models are integrated in a scenario of transient greenhouse gases (GHG) and aerosols. The time slices span three decades that were chosen to correspond roughly to single, double and triple current GHG concentration levels. Several enhancements have been implemented in CRCM-II since the CRCM-I climate-change simulations reported upon earlier. The larger computational domain, extending further to the west, north and south, allows for a better spin-up of weather systems as they enter the regional domain. The increased length of the simulations, from 5 to 10 years, strengthens the statistical robustness of the results. The improvements to the physical parameterisation, notably the moist convection scheme and the diagnostic cloud formulation, cure the excessive cloud cover problem present in CRCM-I, reduce the warm surface bias and prevent the occurrence of grid-point precipitation storms that occurred with CRCM-I in summer. The dynamical ocean and sea-ice components of CGCM2 that is used to provide atmospheric lateral and surface boundary conditions to CRCM-II, as well as the use of transient rather than equilibrium conditions of GHG and the inclusion of direct aerosols forcing, in both CGCM2 and CRCM-II, increase the realism of the CRCM-II climate-change simulation.     

亚洲区域气候模式比较计划的进展

区域气候变化的信息是气候变化影响评估的基础。在发展全球气候模式的同时 ,发展高分辨的区域气候模式是获取区域气候变化信息的重要途径之一。作者介绍了由中国科学院大气物理研究所START全球变化东亚区域研究中心发起和主持 ,有中、美、韩、日和澳大利亚 1 0个研究组参加的亚洲区域气候模式比较计划的目的、意义、工作任务和试验设计等主要内容 ,给出了该国际比较计划第 1阶段 (连续 1 8个月积分 )和第 2阶段( 1 988～ 1 998年连续 1 0年积分 )的初步结果 ,讨论了区域气候模式在亚洲应用中的一些共性问题以及进一步研究的方向。     

新疆地区未来气候变化的区域气候模式集合预估

本文基于一套在5个全球气候模式结果驱动下,RegCM4区域气候模式对东亚25km水平分辨率的集合预估,分析了中、高温室气体典型排放路径(RCP4.5和RCP8.5)下,21世纪不同时期新疆地区的未来气候变化.对模式当代气候模拟结果的检验表明,区域模式的模拟集合(ensR)总体上能够很好地再现当代新疆平均气温、降水和极端...     

The Effects of Model Resolution on the Simulation of Regional Climate Extreme Events

The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University/NCAR Mesoscale Model Version 3 (MM5V3) was used to simulate extreme heavy rainfall events over the Yangtze River Basin in June 1999. The effects of model's horizontal and vertical resolution on the extreme climate events were investigated in detail. In principle, the model was able to characterize the spatial distribution of monthly heavy precipitation. The results indicated that the increase in horizontal resolution could reduce the bias of the modeled heavy rain and reasonably simulate the change of daily precipitation during the study period. A finer vertical resolution led to obviously improve rainfall simulations with smaller biases, and hence, better resolve heavy rainfall events. The increase in both horizontal and vertical resolution could produce better predictions of heavy rainfall events. Not only the rainfall simulation altered in the cases of different horizontal and vertical grid spacing, but also other meteorological fields demonstrated diverse variations in terms of resolution change in the model. An evident improvement in the simulated sea level pressure resulted from the increase of horizontal resolution, but the simulation was insensitive to vertical grid spacing. The increase in vertical resolution could enhance the simulation of surface temperature as well as atmospheric circulation at low levels, while the simulation of circulation at middle and upper levels were found to be much less dependent on changing resolution. In addition, cumulus parameterization schemes showed high sensitivity to horizontal resolution. Different convective schemes exhibited large discrepancies in rainfall simulations with regards to changing resolution. The percentage of convective precipitation in the Grell scheme increased with increasing horizontal resolution. In contrast, the Kain-Fritsch scheme caused a reduced ratio of convective precipitation to total rainfall accumulations corresponding to increasing horizontal resolution.     

P-σ九层区域气候模式对东亚区域气候季节与年际变化的模拟

利用所发展的P-σ九层区域气候模式较成功地模拟了东亚地区区域气候的季节与年际变化,结果表明,初夏南亚高压的季节性变化与亚洲夏季风的建立具有密切关系,成功地模拟出了降水的季节变化,但夏季降水模拟较差.实际嵌套场的引入,使降水模拟得以改善.实际海温的引入使得南亚高压的模拟增强,而西太平洋副高的模拟则与西太平洋暖池地区的海温具有密切关系,在厄尔尼诺年,与使用月平均海温相比,副高有明显的增强或减弱,副高对暖池降温的响应具有不确定性.     

Numerical investigation of an extreme storm with the Canadian Regional Climate Model: the case study of windstorm VIVIAN, Switzerland, February 27, 1990

 The windstorm VIVIAN that severely affected Switzerland in February 1990 has been investigated using the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM). This winter storm was characterised by a deep cyclone in the North Atlantic and by strong geopotential and baroclinic north-south gradients in the troposphere over Western Europe resulting in high windspeeds in Switzerland. Our principal emphasis is to demonstrate the ability of the CRCM to simulate the windfield intensity and patterns. In order to simulate winds at very high resolution we operate an optimal multiple self-nesting with the CRCM in order to increase the horizontal and vertical resolution. The simulation starts with downscaling NCEP-NCAR reanalyses at 60 km with 20 vertical levels, followed by an intermediate 5-km simulation with 30 vertical levels nested in the former. The 5-km output is in a final phase used for initial and lateral conditions for a 1-km resolution simulation with 46 vertical levels. The multiple self-nesting in the horizontal is necessary to reach sufficient resolution to better capture the orographic forcing that modulates the atmospheric circulation at fine scales, whereas the vertical resolution enhancement helps to better simulate the boundary layer that modulates the windspeed along the surface and better represents the atmospheric circulation with a complex vertical structure (low-level jets, gravity waves and frontal features). It has also been found that the simulated temporal variability of the windfield and of most variables at the finer scales increases with the increasing nesting frequency. This indicates that as we progress towards finer scales in the horizontal, the vertical and the nesting frequency enhancement helps to simulate windspeed variability. However, the variability within the larger domain is limited by the archival frequency of reanalysis data that cannot resolve disturbances with time scale shorter than 12 h. Results show that while the model simulates well the synoptic-scale flow at 60-km resolution, cascade self-nesting is necessary to capture fine-scale features of the topography that modulate the flow that generate localised wind enhancement over Switzerland. Received: 6 July 2000 / Accepted: 13 February 2001